That is one of the reasons given by Graham Berry, chairman of the Alpine Community Development Trust, which operates Community Networks, for not supporting the Wanaka Community House Charitable Trust's proposal.
The community house trust is seeking resource consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council for a building next to St Columba's Anglican Church, in McDougall St, on land owned by the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin.
It would include offices and a hall.
At one point, Community Networks was to have been the anchor tenant.
Community house trust chairwoman Dame Sukhi Turner said last week she was "gobsmacked'' to learn the Alpine trust was opposing her trust's proposal.
In a statement to the Otago Daily Times, Mr Berry said all Wanaka's churches did "great work'' in the community but Community Networks needed "to be seen as non-denominational to be open for all''.
Mr Berry said the organisation would like to work with the community house trust to develop a "fit for purpose'' facility that was "neutral'' or "non-denominational'' and one that reduced the building cost by not including a church hall and church offices.
Community Networks was established in 2003 and had up to 50 volunteers and three paid staff, he said.
"We support the community house trust in the development of a facility but have consistently maintained the view that it needs to be in the commercial part of town, not the residential zone.
"Great it is that there is so much interest to support a community facility, but we are disappointed with the current differences in opinion about where it should be sited.
"The community house trust has chosen to only pursue the church option.''
Mr Berry said his organisation's preferred site was council-owned land next to its offices in Ardmore St.
The resource consent hearing for the church proposal is due to begin on Monday.
